Tuscan Mayor Commissions Trump Statue

The mayor of a tiny town in the province of Lucca, Vagli di Sotto (population 995), has commissioned a marble monument depicting the current president of the U.S., Donald Trump, for a public park.

Although artisans are already at work carving the sculpture, Mayor Mario Puglia is seeking sponsors to pay the cost. Once finished, it will be placed in the Park of Honor and Dishonor in Vagli di Sotto, which is located in the mountainous Garfagnana area of Tuscany.

Despite his avowed hatred of Russia, Mayor Puglia is a Trump admirer, who, according to him “does what he says — the endless flow of immigration should definitely slowed down. Also, the American people voted him into office, let’s give him a chance.”

Trump’s popularity at the moment when the statue is completed (or, according to the mayor, his place in history) will determine whether it is placed in the area of the honored or the dishonored. The latter hosts a portrayal of ship captain Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Tuscany in the latter, and Gregorio De Falco, who ordered Schettino back on board after he abandoned ship in the former. A monument of David Bowie is slated to arrive soon.

The village of Vagli di Sotto is also known for a dam that submerged an abandoned ancient hamlet, which was last seen in 1994 when the dam was emptied for maintenance. To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.